What is the Spiritual Authority of Organizational Officials? [Old Café] [Archive]

Jim

03-14-2003, 12:33 PM

Sandy,

You asked:

“Are you saying the apostles that establish a church, thus ordaining the elders of that church, which is what they seemingly did according to the book of Acts, do not have any type of authority over them once the elders are put into place within each community or city?”

The apostle(s) who establish a local assembly provide the oversight for that assembly until the development of a sufficient number of biblically gifted, qualified and tested men who are willing to serve are ready to be appointed as overseers (a collegial eldership) and the Lord Jesus Christ directs the founding apostle or a delegate acting for the founding apostle to appoint elders. At that point the oversight of the assembly becomes the responsibility of the eldership.

The founding apostle could serve in an eldership. While the oversight of a mature local assembly is the responsibility of an eldership, this doesn’t preclude the founder of an assembly from influencing the assembly, as we see in the letters of Paul to assemblies that he planted. If ANY member of a local assembly truly hears from God, it is the responsibility of the eldership to hear and respond to what God is saying through any member of the body of Christ. There is ministry between local assemblies which might include apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers visiting other local assemblies for ministry/edification. What we don’t see in the New Testament Scriptures is positional authority (other that the Head of the body; The Lord Jesus Christ who holds ALL authority), but authority through relationship, biblical gifting, and biblical character qualifications.

You also asked:

“And do not ordained elders by said apostle, along with the prophet confirming this ordination, consist of the ministry gifts of pastor, evangelist and teachers for that particular fellowship?”

A collegial eldership will ideally have the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher operating in the eldership. The founding apostle may or might not participate in the eldership.
There can be several men with the same gift participating in an eldership. It would be useful to have several apostolic gifts operating in an eldership if men who are biblically qualified, tested and are willing to serve are available and the Lord Jesus Christ directs that it would please Him to have them serve as elders.

God bless,

Jim

www.GloriousChurch.com